Failure Analysis

Unfortunately, it happens: things fail. Sometimes it's a boom component. Other times, it's a hydraulic cylinder. Or maybe it's a mechanical or product defect. Or an issue related to good old-fashioned wear and tear.

At Truck & Equipment Specialists, we collect and analyze data to determine the exact cause of a failure. We systematically walk through an incident to develop a comprehensive explanation for why something failed. If needed, we can even work with a forensic investigator or engineer to take the investigation beyond the scope of the initial inquiry.

Simply put: when things fail, we tell you why.

Report excerpt

"At the time of inspection I met with the insured and proceeded to inspect the damaged engine. Preliminary inspection revealed that the entire engine was disassembled prior to my inspection, revealing several large holes in the left side of the engine block and oil pan in the area of cylinders number ﬁve and six, as well as a signiﬁcant amount of metal shavings in the bottom of the oil pan. Further examination revealed severe and catastrophic damages to cylinders number ﬁve and six cylinder liners, connecting rods, wrist pins, pistons, rod bearings as well as the crankshaft in that same area. An examination of the remaining four cylinder assemblies revealed evidence of minor damages as a result of metallic contamination of the lubricating oil from the area of failure, thus, ruling out a failed oil pump as the cause of the failure. An examination of the number ﬁve and six piston heads revealed evidence of distinct and unusual burn patterns, indicative of a timing advance issue. Upon making that determination, it was agreed that the injection pump had malfunctioned, causing the premature combustion at the number ﬁve and six cylinders that applied excessive forces on the connecting rods, wrist pins and rod bearings that had subsequently begun to deteriorate, a condition of which was aggravated by the insured's operators continued use, which caused the eventual catastrophic failure. It is clear and has been agreed that the operator was subjected to the loud and excessive engine knocking; however, he clearly ignored it and allowed the engine to run until the subsequent ﬁnal catastrophic failure occurred."

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